Iranians Caught Cyber Snooping on High-Value US Targets

Through an elaborate social engineering ruse that involved setting up a fake news organization, Iranian spies were able to convince thousands of valuable U.S. and Israeli targets to connect with them on social media. "The Iranians use a relatively low level of technological sophistication, but what they lacked in sophistication, they made up in creativity," said iSight's Stephen Ward.

cyberespionage campaign with links to Iran for at least three years has been targeting U.S. military and congressional personnel, journalists and diplomats, as well as U.S. and Israeli defense contractors and members of the U.S./Israel lobby, according to a report released Thursday by iSight Partners.

Using more than a dozen phony identities on online social networks, the spy ring managed to rope into its web of deceit more than 2,000 high-value targets, harvesting credentials or planting malware capable of stealing data from infected systems, the firm found.

"Two years ago, Iran said it wanted to develop cyberespionage capability," Stephen Ward, senior marketing director for iSight Partners, told TechNewsWorld. "They meant it -- and we're seeing that."

Ironically, the Iranian bogus persona campaign began around the time it was reported that the U.S. Central Command had awarded a contract to a California company to develop software for creating fake online personalities to spread pro-American propaganda on the Internet.

In an elaborate scheme, the Iranian cyberspies established a fake news outlet, the Newscaster Network, on major social networks -- Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn -- and populated it with fake personas.

The personas probed high-value targets on the social media, making requests to connect. After joining a person's circle of contacts, they sent the target a link to a fake portal to the social network. When the target entered their credentials at the phony portal, the spies then could harvest them.

The credentials enabled them to enter the target's network.

"They can move from machine to machine, collecting intelligence and information on what assets are on the network and how they can be accessed, and escalate their privileges to access more sensitive information," Andrey Dulkin, senior director of cyber innovation at CyberArk, told TechNewsWorld.

9 to 5 in Tehran

At least one of the networks, Facebook, dismantled Newscaster before the release of the iSight report.

"We discovered this group while investigating suspicious friend requests and other activity on our site," the company said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by Facebook Communications Manager Jay Nancarrow.

"Creating fake profiles and distributing malware are clear violations of our policies," it continued. "We removed all of the offending profiles we found to be associated with the fake NewsOnAir organization, and we have used this case to further refine our systems that catch fake accounts at various points of interaction on the site and block malware from spreading."

The Iranian operation isn't as sophisticated as some launched by Chinese hackers, but it was just as potent. "The Iranians use a relatively low level of technological sophistication, but what they lacked in sophistication, they made up in creativity," iSight's Ward said.

"There's no designer malware or Zero Day kernel exploit," he continued. "Does it mean this wasn't an effective campaign? No. This was a multiyear campaign to establish a false sense of trust in the minds of a lot of high-value targets. They used lower-tech weapons for high-end results."

Smoking Keyboards?

In the past, Iran has denied involvement in cyberwarfare activity, but iSight cited a number of ties from the Newscaster network to Iran. For example, one Newscaster persona tried to get Facebook friends to participate in a poll on Iranian diplomacy. In addition, the password for some malware used by the spies was the Persian word "Parastoo." Moreover, Facebook activity by the network corresponded to working hours in Tehran.

"I don't know if the Iranians did this or not, but I've taken a look at some of the connections and personalities that they created, and there's a lot of work in there," Vincent Berk, CEO ofFlowTraq, told TechNewsWorld.

"If you're a company and are trying to get that kind of social media outreach," he continued, "it would take a full marketing department to do that, so someone is investing some serious money here."

Iranian hackers have grabbed headlines in the past with massive Distributed Denial of Service attacks on U.S. banks and a data destruction rampage at Saudi Aramco.

"The bank attacks were significantly disruptive, although they only attacked the websites of the banks, not their infrastructure," Richard Stiennon, chief research analyst at IT Harvest, told TechNewsWorld.

"The attack on Saudi Aramco was extremely destructive. They had to rebuild 30,000 Windows PCs after the attack," he said.

"To date, this is the first time anyone has accused the Iranians of something that looks like nation-state spying," Stiennon added, "as opposed to hacktivist-type attacks."

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Iranian Court Wants a Word With Zuckerberg

Iran's conflicted relationship with technology led to a court calling on Mark Zuckerberg -- or a representative -- to appear to answer privacy charges, a summons that's likely to be ignored. The government is busy blocking some social networking sites, on the one hand, while officials are busy using them, on the other. Both the president and supreme leader are prolific tweeters, for example.

Facebook cofounder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been summoned by an Iranian court over privacy-violation concerns, according to news reports on Tuesday.

The court in question, located in Iran's southern province of Fars, reportedly also opened a case against Facebook-owned social networking services WhatsApp and Instagram and ordered that they be blocked.

Either Zuckerberg or an appointed attorney must appear in court, an Iranian official told state news agency ISNA.

The official called Zuckerberg the "Zionist director" of Facebook -- a reference to his Jewish background -- and reportedly mentioned a possible fine.

The news follows by just a week the arrest and subsequent release of six Iranian youths forposting a video in which they danced to Pharrell Williams' song "Happy" on the rooftops of Tehran. The director of the video reportedly remains in custody.

'An Uphill Battle'

Iran has no extradition treaty with the United States, so it's unlikely that Facebook's leader will have to respond to the summons. The summons speaks volumes, however, about conflicting views of the Internet around the globe.

"Neither Zuckerberg nor his companies' officers will be going to Iran to face charges from a conservative judge there," technology attorney Raymond Van Dyketold TechNewsWorld.

"Iran, China, Russia and other countries that wish to maintain control over their populations by limiting Web access fight a losing battle against the forces of open access to social media and popular social media tools such as Instagram," he added. "Just as the West contends with privacy concerns, Iran and other nations must come to grips with these modern issues."

Privacy concerns "pervade all cultures, and each approaches these particular issues differently," Van Dyke pointed out.

Over the last decade or so, for example, "Americans generally gave up electronic privacy but are now trying to reclaim it with the Snowden releases," he said. "The Iranian authorities face an uphill battle with their educated populace in the world of the Internet, particularly against the social media paradigm and Mark Zuckerberg."

'An Opportunity'

Although Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for more Internet freedom, the nation's inconsistent views on the online world are frequently evident. Social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all have been banned in Iran, for example, even as high-ranking government officials -- including Rouhani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- have continued to use them.

Last week, a different Iranian court ordered that Instagram be blocked as well. However, users in Tehran still could access both WhatsApp and Instagram on Tuesday, according to reports.

Rouhani apparently opposes blocking such websites before local alternatives can be created.

"#Cyberspace should be seen as opportunity," he tweeted earlier this month.

Iran last year announced that it planned to create an "Islamic Google Earth" dubbed "Basir" that would be free of the "Zionist" tendencies of Google's version.

'Censorship in the Guise of Human Rights'

"This isn't the first time governments have claimed they're 'protecting users' privacy' when they're actually trying to crack down on websites they don't like -- and it won't be the last," Berin Szoka, president of the TechFreedom think tank, told TechNewsWorld.

An Italian court in 2012 convicted three Google executives in absentia for violating Italian privacy laws, claiming that sites like Google Videos or YouTube must screen the massive volume of user content that they carry, he pointed out.

"That would, of course, cripple most social networking sites," Szoka noted, "but to the Iranian government, breaking social network sites indirectly while claiming you're protecting privacy is just a great way to rebrand censorship in the guise of human rights."

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Chinese Media: Cisco Is Playing on US Cyberspy Team

Today in international tech news: China accuses Cisco of being a cyberspying accomplice. Also: An Iranian judge summons Mark Zuckerberg to court to answer privacy complaints; Beijing looks to rid instant messaging apps of everything from terror talk to porn; and Aussie Apple users report hijacked devices.

Cisco has been accused of being in bed with U.S. cyberspying efforts, according to a Chinese state media outlet.

Cisco "carries on intimately" with U.S. spying apparatuses, the outlet claims, and plays "a disgraceful role" in efforts to prop up U.S. power over the Web.

Cisco denied the accusations.

Beijing definitely seems to have taken umbrage with last week's U.S. indictments of five members of China's People's Liberation Army, accused by the Justice Department of cyberespionage. In the days since, China has

• announced intensified scrutiny of IT products and services;
• banned Windows 8 from government computers;
• released a report detailing America's "unscrupulous" cybersurveillance; and
• reportedly pressured banks to remove high-end servers from IBM -- and replace them with a local brand.

Cisco was among Beijing's first targets following Congress' late-2012 decree that Huawei and ZTE -- a pair of Chinese telecommunications giants -- should not be allowed to work on U.S. networks.

Cisco was promptly booted from one of China's main networks in favor of China Unicom; shortly thereafter, the anti-Cisco campaign intensified with accusations of lax security.

[Source: The New York Times]

Iranian Judge Summons Mark Zuckerberg to Court

A judge in Iran wants Facebook frontman Mark Zuckerberg to appear in court to address privacy complaints over WhatsApp and Instagram, both of which are owned by Facebook.

The judge reportedly also has blocked the two apps in Iran.

Iran does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S., so there is little (or no) chance that Zuckerberg ever would end up in an Iranian courtroom.

However, that has not stopped Iran from trying to smear the social media mogul, with one Iranian Internet official declaring, "The Zionist director of the company of Facebook, or his official attorney, must appear in court to defend himself" -- and, just maybe, pay for damages.

A different Iranian court last week ordered a block of Instagram, but users in the capital of Tehran could still access the app as of Tuesday. Facebook is already banned in the country, as are Twitter and YouTube.

[Sources: ISNA, AP, Reuters, Mashable]

China Looks to Clean Up Messaging Apps

Chinese authorities launched a campaign to clean up instant messaging services, which they claim are conduits for "illegal and harmful information, seriously undermining public interests."

Authorities have said that suspects arrested in recent antiterror sweeps used text messages and chat services to swap bomb-making details. Thirty-one people were killed in China last week when bombers flung explosives out the windows of two cars.

The instant message crackdown isn't merely an antiterror tool; rumors and pornography also will be targeted.

[Source: BBC]

Aussie Apple Users' Products Hijacked

People from across Australia are reporting that their Apple devices have been commandeered by hackers demanding ransom payments.

The devices in question include iPads, iPhones and Macs. One victim claims to have been instructed to pay 50 bucks into a PayPal account into to unlock it.

[Source: The Age]

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Apple May Connect the Smart Home of Your Dreams

This Apple home automation rumor is more than an interesting play for a new consumer product. It has the potential not only to elevate the entire home automation industry, but also to destroy the competition. Apple knows how to tap into emotions and ideas through mass media marketing campaigns. When Apple turns on its advertising lights and spotlights the home, consumers will act.

The hottest tech rumor of the week already happened, and it's only Tuesday: Apple is finally breaking into home automation. That's right -- connected lights, thermostats, security systems and home appliances. And the key? the iPhones that already are carried by millions of consumers.

The Financial Times unleashed the rumor Monday, and it's exploded with a flurry of newsy posts and opinions. So where did the rumor come from? And why now?

The now is easy: Next week Apple will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference, which is where it typically reveals new Mac OS X, iOS and developer-focused ecosystem initiatives.

The new Apple home effort clearly would interest developers who might build apps beyond the smartphone that could integrate with a smart home.

The Smell Test

As for sources, FT is extraordinarily vague, noting only that "Apple has been talking to a select group of other device makers whose smart home products will be certified to work with its forthcoming new system and then be sold in its retail stores."

The report doesn't even outright say that third-party device makers were sources. So is this true or just wishful thinking?

It smells true. When you connect rising home automation interest with a player that can be the catalyst the home automation niche needs to break into the mass market -- Apple -- the rumor takes on a life of its own. As for importance, is this rumor overblown? No way. Here's why Apple has the power to very quickly amp up the home.

The iPhone Is the Key - and the Remote Control

With millions of iPhones in the hands of homeowners and renters, a single mobile platform has the potential to "just work" with Apple-certified devices -- like light bulbs, security cameras, thermostats or door locks. An iPhone could unlock a door, for example, with or without a Touch ID security print, as well as turn on the lights and queue the music. Thinking farther out, an iPhone could turn up (or turn down) the thermostat when the home owner crosses some predetermined threshold while driving or walking home.

Home devices already use the iPhone for apps, but Apple has the potential -- through a new program -- to consolidate a bunch of discrete apps for different devices into a coordinated system.

Apple Has Ecosystem Experience

Plenty of companies have wanted to jolt the home automation industry with their own ecosystems of products. Google bought the company behind the popular Nest smart thermostat, for example. Samsung is building and shipping smart refrigerators and washing machines.

No company has yet been able to muster a significant wave of app developers and hardware builders to make front door-to-back door home automation real, however. Apple's developer community loves this sort of thing, and Apple can deliver a sizable money-making opportunity.

Retail Stores

Apple's Retail Stores, which put Apple's devices in front of buyers, also can serve as showcases for smart home products.

Positioned in key markets around the world, they can turn an idea for a home product into a tactile, sensory experience. The only downside might be having to endure the wailing of small children who don't want to stop playing with the pretty rainbow of colors shining down from connected light bulbs.

Privacy Built In

While companies like Google mine user data to deliver targeted advertising experiences, not everyone is impressed with the way it scoops up data -- whether it is or isn't used in specifically identifying ways. Apple has a chance to be the one company that could provide controls for a smart home, while simultaneously assuring customers that it's not tracking their bedtime habits and making assumptions to deliver ads.

If millions of homeowners really do care about privacy, this sort of edge has the potential to affect companies that run their business on data.

Ease of Use

Of course, what's driving the Apple home automation rumor juggernaut is Apple's legendary ease of use. Until now, few customers really have been interested in taking the time to automate their homes or invest in expensive, integrated solutions.

However, what if Apple created a home automation ecosystem of products, either made by Apple or certified by Apple? That would open up a whole new level of consumer confidence in this product segment.

Apple's CarPlay effort, for example, is showing promise in a similar way -- it has reignited interest in smart automobile dashboards while at the same time attracting auto manufacturers to use Apple.

In addition, Apple has managed to keep its systems reasonably secure, giving it a foundation of confidence for customers concerned about cameras and sensors in their own homes communicating with hackers or criminals.

Apple's Foot in Door

This Apple home automation rumor is more than an interesting play for a new consumer product. It has the potential not only to elevate the entire home automation industry, but also to destroy the competition.

Why did Apple sell the Nest thermostat in its retail stores but not bother to buy the cool device? Apple likely would rather connect an entire ecosystem of devices than build all of its own hardware for everything. With Apple connecting the experience, millions of consumers will have the confidence to finally act -- by buying into home automation.

At the same time, Apple knows how to tap into emotions and ideas through mass media marketing campaigns. When Apple turns on its advertising lights and spotlights the home, consumers will act.

This has the power to elevate Apple's certified partners and build awareness of an entire industry while obliterating fledgling competition that tries to go it alone.

Of course, none of this is a given. Google is building out its own ecosystem, and Android has the potential to connect many devices in ways similar to iOS. As for Samsung, it has the world's bestselling Android smartphones. Plus, it not only is building appliances for the home right now, but also building its own device operating system -- Tizen.

All that said, as of right now we're still talking rumor. Could it all be revealed at next week's WWDC event? You bet -- or it might not be mentioned at all. 

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The Real Reason Apple Bought Beats: Addiction

Beats is not about headphones or a cool service with licensing deals. Beats is all about one-to-one connection of a brand and subscription service that feeds a person's soul. Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics is more about the acquisition of a kindred spirit than a new line of business. Sure, the executives from both companies walk entirely differently, but their cores are similar.

I get the sense that a good many Apple enthusiasts are confused by its acquisition of Beats Electronics. Sure, many are nodding their heads, saying that Beats is good for Apple and makes total sense. The headphones are selling well. With 250,000 paying subscribers, the Beats Music service is taking off fast, and it can only be elevated by Apple's global brand and infrastructure.

However, there's an undercurrent of concern, too -- a bit of head-scratching and scrambling to make sense of what this really means for Apple's future. After all, couldn't Apple have built everything that Beats offers, all by itself? (On the surface, yes.)

Does Apple really need to buy "cool" these days? (No.) More worrisome, is Apple becoming one of those big companies that starts buying other companies just to keep the parent conglomerate growing and expanding in order to confuse Wall Street and make lackluster executives feel like they're actually doing something important? (I sure hope not.)

So why Beats? Why now? What the heck is going on here? Is Apple going to start buying companies in order to attract new management talent, like Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre? After all, it's hard to make a traditional "hire" of an industry-leading professional with deep industry business connections. A simple hire seems like a step down, especially to pros who are running their own companies. A big acquisition, though, makes landing an Iovine or Dre possible.

Despite making sense on paper, the whole Beats acquisition still seems so anti-Apple that it's just damn unsettling.

Finally, though -- just now -- I get it. Let me share. Maybe you'll agree.

Good but Not Insanely Great Products

At first, I got hung up on the headphones, because the Beats headphones are popular -- but not insanely great. Apple used to shoot for both -- to make a product that was insanely great and make it popular through fantastic marketing. As near as I can tell, audiophiles and music lovers who appreciate fidelity pretty much shrug their shoulders at the Beats line of headphones and speakers. Why would Apple buy something that wasn't better than what it could produce on its own?

This is an issue I've been struggling with. Like most of the tech press, I tried to shrug it off with the notion that the fledgling Beats Music subscription business is the key. That Apple is willing to buy the mediocre "products" in order to get the backend subscription deals with music labels, so as to offer something it doesn't yet have itself.

Forget the scraggly trees, right? Just buy the whole damn forest.

However, Apple is a very thoughtful company. It moves with intent. If Apple poured US$3 billion into its own subscription service, it easily could launch a great new service, if not a whole new sub-brand. So what gives?

A Closer Look at Headphones

Despite popular belief, Apple is not a fashion company. Apple produces products that become fashionable -- not because of how they look, but because of how they make customers feel. When you hold an Apple device in your hand -- iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook -- the quality and care is obvious. Even the iPhone 5c is incredibly solid and well-made.

Combine the hardware with the software, which delivers constant positive interactions with the user, and you've got a device that becomes an extension of a person's personality -- in a sense, an element of fashion. Still, Apple didn't set out to be cool -- Apple set out to build great products that, because of their greatness, became cool. As a consequence, Apple became cool, too.

Beats seems to come from a radically different place -- it started with an attempt to create a product that was cool and fashionable -- one that people wanted because it was cool.

That seems anti-Apple.

There's something wrong with this simple explanation, though. It's not deep enough. It's flat and condescending -- not only to Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, but also to the consumers who shelled out for mediocre-plus headphones in cool shiny colors.

So what's going on? Music is about emotion. It creates and modifies moods. It's profoundly biological. What Beats did was build and create a new cue -- a sign of sorts -- in color, format, and logo -- that reminds a person to listen to music and enjoy it, to put on their Beats headphones with intent.

Then the visceral experience of the music reinforces the distinctive design in such a way that users get more joy out of listening to music through their Beats headphones than through other, more generic-looking headphones. Cost and quality become secondary to the repeated experience created by using Beats headphones.

In short, Beats headphones represent a constant reminder to enjoy your music.

This achievement is a big deal. It's not a fad. It's a connection between a product and life enjoyment -- and when the joy is absent, it's a form of addictive self-medication.

I'm not kidding.

Most of us manipulate our energy and moods with a wide variety of tactics and substances -- coffee, alcohol, chocolate, hot showers, exercise, potato chips, drugs. Over the ear headphones (that youngsters will wear in public) create a suddenly immersive music experience. They shield you from the outside world and focus attention on the experience between your ears -- in a way that Apple's iconic white earbuds simply cannot replicate. Earbuds deliver sound, but they don't have the size and shape to trigger a deep physical and emotional signal that focuses your experience the way that large headphones do.

The very act of placing a large set of headphones over your ears creates a cocoon of sound and experience that both shields you from the rigors of the outside world and takes you somewhere else.

Does Tim Cook know this? Maybe. Does Apple? Maybe. I wouldn't be surprised. The most coveted products are always less about fashion than they are about emotion -- the dirty little secret of addiction. (After Flappy Bird -- which nobody accused of being cool -- you would think the connection between product, experience, and addiction would be more thoroughly discussed.)

Enter the Beats Subscription Service

Apple could seek to create its own line of headphones to attempt to create this same sort of buying and using experience. But Apple doesn't have the secret ingredient in high-grade musical addiction anymore -- the connection of mood with device and content.

Beats connects the device (headphones) with the content through its curated streaming music service. The customers trust their moment to the Beats Music curated list. Then, each time a user creates an awesome playlist by connecting current music needs to the service itself -- and is rewarded with a blast of music-delivered emotion -- a reinforced feedback loop is created. Talk about customer loyalty. Talk about viral world-of-mouth marketing. Talk about shared moments hanging out with friends.

Pre-built playlists in iTunes do not invite this sort of surprised customer delight. Apples iTunes Genius just doesn't cut it. And iTunes Radio? The feeling is more akin to tolerating the stream than being connected to it.

Beats is not about headphones or a cool service with licensing deals. Beats is all about one-to-one connection of a brand and subscription service that feeds a person's soul -- and it does it with a profitable product.

I've got to believe that Apple recognized something here that is profoundly different than all the other companies that Apple could have bought.

Like Nest, for example. Nest users appreciate their smart thermostats, no doubt, but do they have a visceral addiction and appreciation for the thermostat? I doubt it. Google buying Nest is a practical way to build a home-based world of Internet-connected things. Facebook buying Oculus VR or WhatsApp is more simply about a big brand expanding its reach. Microsoft buying Nokia is a desperate attempt to wedge open the mobile device door before it slams shut forever. All these acquisitions are about acquiring very simple, tactical products.

Beats is not simple or particularly tactical.

What finally settles it for me is the realization that the acquisition of Beats Electronics is more about the acquisition of a kindred spirit than a new line of business. Sure, the executives from both companies walk entirely differently, but their cores remain similar -- they understand that customers are about experience, and companies that feed a fantastic experience are those who win.

That's worth repeating: Companies that feed a fantastic experience are those who win.

Because the collision of products and services with deep customer experience is such a rare quality, I don't think similar acquisitions are going to happen often at Apple. So yeah, the Beats acquisition is a big deal. Letting the service work with Android and Windows Phone customers is a big deal. But shifting tectonic plates in Cupertino? Not so much after all.

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Google Puts Cute Little Rides on the Road

Google is doing all that it can to take the fear factor out of driverless cars. It's new prototype -- it will test 100 or so of these cars this summer -- is as cute as a bug and likely to appeal to older folks who can no longer drive, as well as anyone who would rather be doing something else. Speed demons won't get much of a kick out of it though. The prototype can't move the needle past 25 mph.

Google this week unveiled a prototype that it will test on California roads to learn more about how to make safe and efficient autonomous cars a mainstream reality.

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Telenor Announces 3G Packages

Telenor Pakistan, with the commercial launch of 3G services, today announced the 3G Packages for prepaid and postpaid customers.

Prepaid 3G Packages from Telenor come with multiple validity bundles to give freedom and flexibility to customers.

Two variants of daily 3G bundles consists of 50 MBs for Rs. 15 and 100 MBs for Rs. 25. Whereas, 3-days validity bundle would be offered at Rs. 35 for 200 MBs and weekly validity bundle of 500 MBs at Rs. 75.

Monthly 3G Packages from Telenor comprise of 2 plans; 3,000 MBs at Rs. 400 and 8,000 MBs at Rs. 1,000.

Additional usage, after bundle volumes are exhausted, will be charged at 1 paisa per 10 KB which will be valid till the bundle’s end date.

Prepaid customers who do not subscribe to any of the above 3G package would be daily charged 10 paisa per 10 KB for using 3G services, and upon reaching the daily maximum usage of Rs. 50, they will not be charged any further and can browse the internet for free for the rest of the day.

Telenor 3G Packages for Prepaid

	Price	Volume	Expiry	Activation String
Daily	Rs. 15	50MB	1 Day	*345*131#
Daily +	Rs. 25	100 MB	1 Day	*345*132#
3 Day	Rs. 35	200 MB	3 Days	*345*133#
Weekly	Rs. 75	500 MB	7 Days	*345*134#
Monthly	Rs. 400	3 GB	30 Days	*345*135#
Monthly +	Rs. 1000	8 GB	30 Days	*345*136#

Above mentioned 3G Packages can be availed by all prepaid customers including DJuice and Talkshawk package holders.

3G packages will work both on 2G and 3G coverage area without separate billing under 2G and 3G, whereas 2G bundles will not work in 3G areas.

Postpaid plans will cater to the needs of the data-savvy smartphone users. Telenor said that it is offering various options catering to the needs of the customers.

10-days validity bundle at Rs. 100 for 150 MBs, whereas in 30-days validity category 4 plans will be offered; 300 MBs at Rs. 200, 600 MBs at Rs. 350, 4,000 MBs at Rs. 600 and 8,000 MBs at Rs. 1,000. Additional usage, after bundle limits are exhausted, will be charged at 5 Paisa per 10 KB which will be valid till the bundle’s end date. Usage without subscribing to 3G bundles will be charged at 10 Paisa per 10 KB. .

Telenor 3G Packages for Postpaid

	Price	Volume	Validity
10 Days Package	Rs. 100	150 MB	10 Days
Monthly Package 1	Rs. 200	300 MB	30 Days
Monthly Package 2	Rs. 350	600 MB	30 Days
Monthly Package 3	Rs. 600	4 GB	30 Days
Monthly Package 4	Rs. 1,000	8 GB	30 Days

Above mentioned 3G packages can be be availed by dialling helpline

Telenor has said that special data SIMs for tablets and dongles with affordable and convenient data plans will also be introduced soon.

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FunFacts bet you didn't knew! !

Fun Facts :

Facebook:

600,000 hacking attempts are made to Facebook accounts every day

You can change your language on Facebook to "Pirate

Al Pacino was the first "face" on Facebook

Smartphone users check Facebook 14 times a day

Several people have been murdered for unfriending someone on Facebook

Facebook tracks which sites you visit, even AFTER you have signed out

1 in 3 people feel more dissatisfied with their lives after visiting Facebook, according to a study

Facebook is primarily blue because mark zZuckerbergs  suffers red-green color blindness.

There are about 30 million dead people on Facebook

You can't block Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook

Chocolate:

The smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves, which triggers relaxation

White Chocolate isn't technically Chocolate, as it contains no cocoa solids or cocoa liquor

It takes approximately 400 cacao beans to make one pound (450 gr.) of chocolate.

The inventor of the Chocolate Chip Cookie sold the idea to Nestle Toll House in return for a lifetime supply of chocolate.

M&Ms were created in 1941 as a means for soldiers to enjoy chocolate without it melting

Chocolate magnate, Milton Hershey, canceled his reservations for the Titanic due to last minute business matters.

There are Potato Chips Dipped in Milk Chocolate

Eating dark chocolate every day reduces the risk of heart disease by one third

Brain:

lack of oxygen in the brain for 5 to 10 minutes results in permanent brain damage

Your brain keeps developing until your late 40s

When awake, the human brain produces enough electricity to power a small lightbulb

The pathologist who made Einstein body's autopsy stole his brain and kept it in a jar for 20 years

60 % of your brain is fat

Dieting could force your brain to eat itself scientists say

The human brain has the same consistency as tofu

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Google self-driving cars 'risk being caught in spam traffic jams

Google self-driving cars 'risk being caught in spam traffic jams

Self-driving cars could bring improvements in safety, but they also pose new risks on the road, warns KPMG's cyber security team. With internet access baked in from the off, driverless cars may be vulnerable to hacking techniques recognisable from other areas of computing. Wil Rockall, a director at KPMG, warns that "the industry will need to be very alert to the risk of cyber manipulation and attack"."Self-drive cars will probably work through internet connectivity and, just as large volumes of electronic traffic can be routed to overwhelm websites, the opportunity for self-drive traffic being routed to create ‘spam jams’ or disruption is a very real prospect."

'Road to nowhere'

Rockall suggests that manufacturers could build safety features in to lessen the risk of this happening. "The industry takes safety and security incredibly seriously. Doubtless, overrides could be built in so that drivers could shut down many of the car’s capabilities if hacked. That way, humans will still be able to ensure their cars don’t route them on the road to nowhere.”
But Google's prototype self-driving car, revealed on Tuesday, is largely controlled using an app, and has just two physical buttons: stop, and go. The company has taken a very different approach to firms like Audi and Volvo, who market the driverless features as an addition to, rather than replacement for, a traditionDespite his warnings, Rockall believes that self-driving cars will be a reality, and a largely positive one. "The technology is already available and, with test drives showing early signs of success, an unstoppable journey has started on what will become a well-travelled road."

'Humans are unreliable'

“There is an almost perfect combination of good reasons for self-drive technology. Top of the list is safety because humans are unreliable, easily distracted and have vastly slower reaction times than software. With a computer brain at the wheel, driving will also be more efficient, meaning that environmental and economic benefits will quickly be noticed."
Rockall's comments follow those of Senator John Rockefeller, who worried that self-driving cars would be vulnerable to international hacking at a US senate committee hearing in mid-May.
"In other words, can some 14-year old in Indonesia figure out how to do this and just shut your car down … because everything is now wired up?"al driver

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